Container



July 9, 1935-v c. A. AGAR 2,007,438

CONTAINER Filed May 11, 1953 2 sheets-smet 1 ji* lNvrsN-roR Ya/wh .Ayar

BY v Q: .7AJM-m ATTORNEYS July 9,1935.l C, A AGAR. 2,007,438

CONTAINER Filed May ll, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r: .5. 24V 'ciw-gym lf/JIS-Lza if? l y J7 a JJ ya /9 J6 BY Q m M' M ATTQRNEYS w 1 4atentan.July-9,1935

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CONTAINER Calvin A. Agar, West Orange, N. J.` Application May 11, 1933,Serial No. "670,401 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-27) While the present inventionis'not limited to I such use, it is particularly intended for convenientcarrying of a half-dozen bottles of beer or other beverage. p

' An object of the invention is to provide a container for the abovepurpose, capable of completely enclosing the bottles in securenon-shifting relation and out of contact with each other, and which willdistribute the strains due` to the weight of the contents when carriedin suspended relation in such manner as to avoid injury to -thecontainer, even though the latter be made of relatively weak andinexpensive stock.

Another object is to provide a containerof the above type, in the formof a carton, that may be kept in flat condition and that may beconveniently set up for use when required and will yet havesubstantially the strength of non-collapsible containers, and in whichin particular, the strain is transmitted from the carrying handle to thebottom of the container without oblique or .other destructive strains onthe cover and/or side walls of the container.

Another object is to provide a carton `of the above type, involvinglongitudinal and transverse partitions forming compartments for theindividual bottles, and affording struts for reinforcing the outside ofthe container and for sustaining substantially the entire strain whenthe package is carried in suspended relation.

Another object is to provide a carton of the above type, made from asingle blank maintained in set-up relation solely by interfolding ofvarious parts thereof, to form the entire structure including thelongitudinal and transverse partition members, cover members andcarrying handle.

Another object is to provide a blank roughly rectangular in shape thatmay be prepared with but little waste of stock, and capable of beingreadily set up by interfolding to produce a carton structure of theabove character.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possibleembodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the portable container, in closedcondition,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig, 1,

Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal cross-section, lengthwise of thecarton,

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse cross-section taken on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3,

The container `has cover elements 2l and Aand Fig. 5 is a plan view ofthe developed blank,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the blank in the process of beingfolded to produce the carton, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the carton a more advanced state ofset-up. Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the containerroughly comprises a rectangular bottom I 0, sidewalls I2 and I4 and endwalls ij and I3. A longitudinal partition wall I5, I6 extends midwaybetween the side walls I2 and III, through the-entire length and heightof the container, and transverse partition members I1, I8, I9 and 2usubdivide the container illustratively into six compartments, for theindividual bottles. 22, each of a Width substantially half the thicknessof the container from between which protrudes upwardly a. handlestructure 23, 24 unitary with the median longitudinal partition I5, I6.

The construction thus far described, substantially regardless how built,provides the advantage of transmitting the strain due to the weight ofthe contents resting on the bottom, substantially solely through themedian partition I5, I6 to the carrying handle 23, 24. The partitionbeing of uniform strength throughout its height below the handle, thereis no region of weakening where it is apt to break or tear, and obliqueor skew strains on the container wall are avoided, so that the parts maybe of relatively weaker or lighter stock than constructions in which thestrain is not as directly transmitted.

The construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is preierably made of a blankshown developed in Fig. 5, and which will now be described.

The blank, preferably of a thin grade of stili, double-faced corrugatedpaper board is roughly rectangular in form, and accordingly-is made withbut little waste of stock. The blank is longitudinally and transverselyscored and longitudinally slit as shown and more fully set forth below.The blank includes four panels II, I2, I3 I4 joined at longitudinalscore lines s in a lateral sequence with a tucking tongue 25 at thelateral edge of the blank. The panels I2 and I4 of greater wid-thdetermine the side walls of the carton and the narrower panels II and I3the end walls thereof. The blank is longitudinally slit both at itsupper and lower edges as at t inalignment with the score lines s betweenthe respective panels.- The naps thus formed, which extend from thatedge of the wall panel at the bottom of the set-up carton, are longerthan said panels and said flaps are scored as at Cri CII

u parallel to the score line '0 between the panels andthe flaps, thearea between said scores u and v being of a width substantially half thethickness of the finished carton and determining the bottom panels I andI0 of the carton. The slits w divide the flaps associated with thenarrower panels II and I3 into identical laterally aligned transversepartition flaps and IB, and the flaps 2|) and I9 respectively. The foot26 of each of the transverse partition flaps serves as the spacer fromthe corresponding end wall. v

The aps at the ends of the panels at the top of the set-up carton serveas the cover. The flaps 2| and 22 are scored at y to form tucking flaps30, the distances between the score line determining the upper edge ofthe panel in the set-up carton, and the score y being each substantiallyhalf the thickness of the set-up carton. The corresponding flaps of thenarrower panels and I3 are longitudinally slit at e in alinement withslits w, each to form two segments 3| and 32.

The narrower flap portions I8, I9 and 20 beyond score line u andassociated with panels and I3, are preferably of a length equal to theheigh-t of said panels. The wider ap portions |5 and |B`associated withpanels I2 and |4 are of greater length to determine handle aps 23 and 24with hand holes 34 therein, said handle members being connected atcorresponding score lines r aligned with the extremities of the lflapsI1, I8, I9 and 20.

The carton shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is set up, as required, from the blankof Fig. 5 just described, by an interfolding operation now to be setforth and illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7. In the set-up container, thebottom-forming narrower panels I0 and I0 of the blank are brought intoabutment at their limiting score lines u, and the partition-formingpanels I5 and I 6 with their handles 23 and 24 are brought into face toface engagement. The longitudinal slit w between flaps II and I8 iscaused to straddle the superposed longitudinal partition members I5 andI6 so as to dispose the flaps I1 and I8 as transverse partitionsextending on opposite sides of the longitudinal partition. The foot 26of each of said transverse partition flaps is superposed over thecorresponding bottom segments I0, I0', and determines the distance ofsaid transverse partitions from the end wall. Similarly, the slit wbetween transverse partition flaps I9 and 20 is caused to straddle thesuperposed longitudinal partition members I5 and I6, and the foot 25 ofeach of said members determines the distance of said transversepartitions from the corresponding end wall of the carton. In the processof inter-folding the partition members set forth, the wall panels II,I2, I3 and I4 are folded into a rectangular enclosing structure and thetucking tongue 25 is then tucked into place.

The bottles or other articles may now be nserted into their individualcompartments as shown in Fig. 2, and thereupon the respective flaps 3|and 32 may be folded in from the end walls to extend at opposite sidesof the protruding handle members 23 and 24, and finally the cover flaps2| and 22 may be folded down with their tongues 30 tucked in as firstshown in Fig. 4 into face to face contact with the longitudinalpartition members I6 and I5 respectively. The distance between the flaps3| and 32 must be four times 'the thickness of the stock, since there isaccommodated therebetween not only the double thickness of thelongitudinal partition I5, I6, but the double thickness of the twotucking tongues 30. For this reason, -the slit z denning said tongues isof correspondingly greater width, as shown, than the remaining slits.

No auxiliary tools or appliances of any kind whatsoever are required toset up the carton, as required by the beer salesman, from the plain atblank. No staples. glue strip or other auxiliary holding means need beused.

When the complete carton is carried from the handle members 23, 24, theweight of the contents sustained on the bottom is transmittedsubstantially directly through the Width and height of the verticallongitudinal partition structure I5, I6. There is no weakened region inthis carrying partition where rupture, under the weight of the packagecontents, would be apt to occur, since the partition is of uniform areaat each horizontal cross-section below the hand hole 34, and is notweakened at any locality by tongues, slits or the like. The transversecarrying partition is connected at its base directly to the bottom l0,I0' at the median line of the latter, and is free from any directmechanical connection to the lateral walls or top of the container.Thus, there is assurance that the stress is transmitted vertically andno destructivel oblique or skew strains on the walls of the carton or onits cover are incurred.

In the closed package, the transverse partitions I'I, I8, I9 and 20maintain the longitudinal partition structure I5, I6 from hingingmovement, and the bottles retain the transverse partitions in correctrelation to separate the bottles from contact with each other.

The transverse partition members I1, I8, I9 and 20 also serve as strutsreacting against the bottom, top, side walls and longitudinal partitionto thus resist any tendency for the bottom segments to hinge upwardlyunder tension transmitted through partition I5, I6. The spacer feet 26also act as struts to resist such hinging movement of the bottomsegments, said spacer feet, the cover tabs 3|, 32, the cover naps 2|,22, and the various partition members also operating jointly andseverally as reinforcing struts to strengthen the lateral walls of thecarton.

While the carton described is particularly convenient for carrying ahalf dozen bottles of beer or other beverage by the ultimate consumerfrom the retail store, it will be readily understood that four of thesefilled cartons may be readily packed, when shipping a case of beer, thetwo parts 23 and 24 of the handle member in that case being simplyfolded down to afford a plain rectangular container, convenient forshipping or packing.

Since the cover flaps are readily opened for access to the bottles, thepackage may be used for returning the empty bottles to the retail storeand may be reused indefinitely.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in whichthe several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatusin its action attains the various objects of the invention and is wellsuited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As manyhanges could be made in the above construction, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that al1 mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a hunting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desiretosecure by Letters Pat ent ofthe United States isz- 1. A containercomprising joined side and end walls, the side walls each having anintegral halfsize bottom flap, each having an extension forming anupstanding partition member in face-toface contact with the other andprojecting above the top of the container, audeach end wall' havingslotted aps integral therewith at the lower end thereof and resting onsaid bottom flaps, the body portion of each Aof said slotted flaps beingof a length substantially equall to one-third the width of said sidewalls and each slotted flap having an upwardly extending terminalportion of the a with half-'size top flaps adapted to rest umn the upperends of the extensions of said slotted flaps.

2. A container comprising joined side and end walls, the side walls eachhaving an integral halfsize bottom ilap, each having an extensionforming an upstanding partition member in face-toface contact with theother and projecting above the top of the container, and each end wallhaving slotted flaps integral therewith at the lower end thereof andresting on said bottom flaps, the body portion of each of said slottediiaps being of a length substantially equal to one-third the width ofsaid side walls and each slotted flap having an upwardly extendingterminal portion of the full width of said bottom flaps and of the fullheight of said side walls, and each of said side walls at its upper endhaving integral therewith half-size top iaps adapted to rest upon theupper ends of the extensions of said slotted aps.

CALVIN A. AGAR'.

